Saying Goodbye to Work Worries While on Vacation)Rebecca Adams)6/21/2016<p>
Summer has just begun and that long-awaited vacation is on the
horizon. Unfortunately, it chttp://www.argosy.edu/our-community/blog/saying-goodbye-to-work-worries-while-on-vacation

Saying Goodbye to Work Worries While on Vacation

Summer has just begun and that long-awaited vacation is on the
horizon. Unfortunately, it can quickly pass you by and before you know
it, that precious
vacation time has been wasted due to inadequate trip planning or a
basic inability to relax.

Twenty-three percent of Americans take no vacation time at all, according to a report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
With
employees skipping out on vacation days every year, the bigger
question remains as to why this continues to happen, and what happens
when employees
actually take that time off? More importantly, how can an individual
enjoy a vacation without being completely disconnected from work?

First off, it's important to understand the value of taking time off
work. "A well-placed vacation can help break the cycle of everyday
workplace-related
stress," says Dr. Joffrey Suprina, dean of the College of Counseling, Psychology and Social Sciences at Argosy University.
"Chronic stress takes a toll on our body's health, disrupting its
ability to resist infection, maintain vital functions and even avoid
injury. When you're
stressed out and tired, you are more likely to become ill. Your
sleep will suffer and not only do you become more irritable, depressed,
and anxious, but
your memory will become worse and you'll make poor decisions. So
vacations are important to our overall physical and mental health."

A new survey from Glassdoor
found
that 61 percent of employees admitted to doing some work while on
vacation. In a connected world of smartphones, iPads and Wi-Fi, that
might not seem like
a big deal. It's easy to work remotely. However, many people aren't
getting the most of their vacation. Checking an email can easily lead to
jumping on a
project, which has potential to take up hours of your valuable
vacation time.

"Taking time off has a positive effect on employee happiness and
productivity, however many people are simply afraid to walk away from
their work even for
a few days," says Dr. Carlos Tasso E. De Aquino, assistant dean of the
Graduate School of Business and Management at Argosy University.
"With globalization and increasing
competition, the workforce feels threatened to lose their jobs to
people anywhere in the world, so they develop this 'addiction' and never
stop working,"
adds Aquino.

So before you leave the office for vacation, assign a person to help
others regarding your normal responsibilities and let everybody clearly
know who this
person is - including them in an automatic email reply and voice
mail.

"Consider a time blocking strategy, where you choose a small block
of time to catch up on work. Let your coworkers know that this is the
only time you'll
be responding to emails, calls and other work needs. By doing this
you'll be in control of your responsibilities, setting employee
expectations, and
alleviating some of the stress that comes from having to constantly
check in," says Suprina.

Another good idea is to train your stand-in coworker well in
advance. Consider having your employees partner up with somebody who
understands their job.
When their counterpart goes on vacation, only they can contact each
other if something comes up. This means that all the attempts to access
the vacationing
employee have to go through their "gatekeeper" who can judge just
how important it actually is to contact that employee.

Vacations give you a chance to unwind, enjoy life, and to keep your
work-life balance from swinging too far toward work. They allow you to
take a step back
from your normal, stressful routine and enjoy a bit of rest and
relaxation. So go ahead this summer and take a few days off. Just don't
forget to bring a
camera.